New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo hails the crowd before the 2014 State of the State address in Albany, N.Y.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo hails the crowd before the 2014 State of the State address in Albany, N.Y., Jan. 8, 2014. Today, he announced that Medicaid, the government's health care program for the poor and disabled, would cover doctor-prescribed transgender treatment.

(NATHANIEL BROOKS)

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- New York is set to become the fifth state to provide gender reassignment surgery and hormone treatments through Medicaid under proposed regulations from Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Under the proposal, the Medicaid program would provide the surgery and treatment if such treatment was referred by a medical professional. Medicaid is the government health care program for the poor and disabled. In New York, federal, state and county taxes fund the overall program. No county tax money would pay for these proposed treatments, according to state documents.

"New York has always been a progressive leader and ensuring that all New Yorkers - regardless of gender identity - are treated fairly will continue this legacy," Cuomo said today in a news release. "This new regulation will guarantee transgender New Yorkers access to Medicaid-funded care, which is critical to safeguarding the principle of equal treatment. I am proud that the state is taking this step and continuing to lead the fight on transgender rights."

The expansion of public benefits comes a week after New York began requiring private health insurance companies to cover transgender health care. Earlier this year, New York revised its birth certificate policy; now, a transgender person under treatment can get a new birth certificate.

Gender dysphoria is the diagnosis given to people whose gender at birth is contrary to the one they identify with and who experience clinically significant distress as a result, according to the state's proposal.

Currently, there are 671 people on Medicaid receiving mental health services based on a diagnosis of gender dysphoria (353 natal males and 308 natal females), according to the proposed regulations.

Surgery would be available for people at least 18 years old and in some cases for people 21 and older. To qualify for the procedure and treatment, patients must have persistent gender dysphoria, receive appropriate hormone therapy for a minimum of one year, and have lived for at least one year in the gender role consistent with the person's gender identity. Patients must also have received mental health counseling.